


stop. rewind. play.

by Zinnith



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Community: mcsmooch, Future Fic, Illness, Kissing, M/M, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-05-15
Updated: 2010-05-15
Packaged: 2017-10-09 11:03:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 498
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/86576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zinnith/pseuds/Zinnith
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p><i>"I'm so glad I got to grow old with you."</i></p>
            </blockquote>





	stop. rewind. play.

Rodney's sitting hunched over his desk, fingers moving slowly over the keyboard, muttering to himself. John stands in the doorway and watches him. The broad shoulders underneath his faded shirt and cardigan. The silver hair, curling slightly around his ears. The liver spots on the back of his neck.

Even after all these years, John has moments where he just wants to drink Rodney in, amazed by the fact that they are together, that they can _have_ this.

John hobbles over to Rodney's chair, creeps up behind him and wraps his arms around his neck. "Hey."

Rodney looks up. His face brightens as he catches sight of John. "Hello there." He turns his head slightly, his stubbly cheek coarse against John's.

"What are you doing?" John asks. He knows very well what Rodney's doing, but Rodney likes to talk about it, and John indulges him.

"I've never been closer to my Unified field theory than this. Look, here, look." Rodney motions excitedly to the screen. John complies and takes a look. He can only follow the math to a certain point, after which it gets lost to him, floats away into Rodney-land.

"I was just thinking about Teyla," Rodney says in the background. "It's been a while since we saw her. Maybe we should take a 'jumper to the mainland tomorrow and visit?"

John looks up and smiles. "Sure. We can do that. But what do you say about a nap now? You've been at it for hours and you know what the doctor said."

"All right, all right," Rodney grumbles and stands up, using the desk for support. "We don't want to make Carson upset."

Carson has been dead for almost forty-five years now, and Teyla is in another _galaxy_. Rodney gets a little mixed up sometimes. He still bumps heads with all the big names in the astrophysics field on a regular basis, but there are also days when he wanders around their house with a puzzled look on his face, as if he's wondering what he's doing here.

John follows Rodney to the bedroom, helps him onto the bed and settles down beside him. He's feeling a little tired himself and a nap doesn't seem like a bad idea.

Rodney is half-asleep already. John leans down and kisses him. His lips are a little chapped, and they don't have the stamina they used to have, back when they could do this for hours on end. But to John, every kiss is precious, sweet as honey, just like the very first time in that sunlit field on M67-whatever. He travelled to another galaxy and found home in the least likely person imaginable.

When he pulls back, Rodney buries his face in John's neck and sighs contentedly. "I'm so glad I got to grow old with you," he murmurs, before his eyes slide shut and his breathing evens out.

John presses his lips against the top of his head. "Me too, buddy," he whispers. "Me too."

\- fin -


End file.
